SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Onions session at the 2017 Empire State Producers Expo on Thursday, January 19 will focus on ensuring high quality onions on a small-scale.
The feature presentation will be on producing high quality plug transplants, presented by Kevin Vander Kooi, University of Guelph, who has been growing high quality onion plug transplants for the Muck Crops Research Station for over 20 years. The remainder of the program will focus on harvest and post-harvest handling with presentations by Cornell Cooperative Extension allium specialists, Crystal Stewart and Christy Hoepting, and small-scale onion grower, Jean-Paul Courtens from the Hudson Valley Food Hub. Onion physiology as it relates to onion maturity and storability will be reviewed and many tips on how to achieve high bulb quality during these phases of production will be shared.
This Expo session was organized by Christy Hoepting, CCE Cornell Vegetable Program. DEC credits will be available.
Onions: Ensuring High Quality in Small-Scale Production
Thursday, January 19, 2017
11:00 am – 12:15 pm
The 2017 Empire State Producers Expo is January 17-19 at the OnCenter Convention Center in Syracuse, NY. This annual show combines the major fruit, flower, vegetable, and direct marketing associations of New York State in order to provide a comprehensive trade show and educational conference for New York and neighboring producers. Attendees can expect presentations by Cornell Cooperative Extension personnel and highly regarded speakers from across the country. Panel discussions feature some of the top industry experts and growers in New York. Between educational sessions, attendees can visit the trade show featuring over 150 commercial vendors and non-profit exhibitors.
Educational sessions offered at the 2017 Empire State Producers Expo include commodity specific programs in berries, cabbage, processing vegetables, hops, grains, cut flowers, tree fruit, sweet corn, tomato, onion, potato, Cole crops, root crops and specialty crops; and focused programs in water management and irrigation, weed management, wildlife management, soil health, post-harvest handling, biopesticides, beginning farmer, marketing using social media and apps, transplant and greenhouse production, climate and forecast models, GAPS, labor, and hard cider production. DEC pesticide recertification credits and Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) credits will be offered during the appropriate educational sessions.
For more information about the Expo and to register, visit the NYS Vegetable Growers Association website at nysvga.org/expo.
–Cornell Cooperative Extension
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